First day in Japan: things to see are many, but for the moment Kyoto can wait. In fact, we decide to head towards Nara, to attend the last day of the Omizutori festival.
Nara is the ancient capital of Japan and still retains some of its old charm. Here is the largest wooden building in Japan (and some say even the world), the Todaiji.
Nara is also famous for being “invaded” by fawns. According to tradition it was founded, a mythological god was riding a white deer to protect the capital.
Since then, the deer are protected and cared for by the community. In return, & nbsp; they have developed their own martial art:
Be careful …
The real goal of the visit, however, is made up of the final acts dell’Omizutori. During this ceremony 11 monks carrying huge flaming torches that are exposed from the temple. People below awaits intrepid for hours for this short (10 minutes) ritual: it is said that those who will be “wet” from the rain of sparks, will be protected from evil spirits. Must surely be true, especially if it survives the flames.
For the rest of the festival celebrates the collection of water to cleanse the sacred temple before the arrival of spring. Not having participated personally, I refer you to Wikipedia 🙂
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